With the emerging advances in technology, teaching a foreign language has been simplified through the use of technology. Students may log online and collaborate on classroom projects using GoogleDocs. They may create web pages such as Wikispaces. They may learn new languages by connecting with others through Skype. They may demonstrate their knowledge by taking a quiz on Quizlet. The possibilities are endless. In this article, we will discuss the ways in which technology can be a resource in learning a new language.
Research
Will technology replace language teachers?
Technology can be used as a learning medium through which language acquisition teachers can enhance students' understanding and fluency. With the plethora of technology in language acquisition programs, language teachers have felt threatened that technology would eventually replace the teacher-student interaction of language learning. However, the truth of the matter is that technology can’t replace an individual. It is important to note that technology is meant as an addition to a language program, not as a replacement for teachers.
Language theorist, Stephen D. Krashen, found that meaningful interaction is necessary for people to learn a second language (1). Further, Lev Vygotsky advocated it is imperative for students to work with peers or adults to help them reach their potential development (2). When less competent students interact with more competent students, they are better able to understand grammatical structures and functions. Thus, person-to-person interactions cannot be replaced by technology.
Additionally, Krashen found that people learn best when they are provided with “comprehensible input”, which enables students to produce language only when they feel ready. When using comprehensible input, students acquire the second language through context. Krashen suggested a low anxiety context or setting, where students' “filters” are low (3). Language classrooms can create low anxiety contexts by making students feel both welcomed and comfortable in their environment. While technology can add to that context, it cannot replace it.
In his Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Howard Gardner argued that people learn in a variety of ways through multiple intelligences. These multiple intelligences include logical-mathematical, linguistic, spatial, musical, bodily kinesthetic, interpersonal, and naturalist (4). By addressing all of the multiple intelligences when teaching, students will be more likely to succeed in producing the target language. While technology can address intelligences such as logical-mathematical, linguistic or musical, it cannot address the importance of interpersonal contact in learning.
Interaction is still essential in the language classroom. While technology cannot replace that interaction, it can enhance it. Students today grow up in a multicultural society, where technology has become the main medium through which people communicate with other cultures. Mark Warschauer and Carla Meskill point out that technology is advantageous in a classroom because it "…can be used to help prepare students for the kinds of international cross-cultural communication which are increasingly required for success in academic, vocational, or personal life" (5).
Examples
WEBSITES
One way in which technology can make learning a language an easy task is through the use of online websites such as ManyThings.com. On that website, students may watch videos, take quizzes, play language games, fill in worksheets, and even download study resources. Students enjoy surfing the net, thus this website provides the enjoyment the students crave while also teaching them a language.
With the use of KeyPal sites, students may connect with students from other countries to speak and learn their language. For example, students learning Spanish in the United States may connect with students learning English in Mexico and speak with each other. This is a valuable resource for students who are learning a new language because they practice their speaking skills. KeyPal websites are listed in the Links section below.
Students use Skype to practice their conversational skills in the target language.
Student take quizzes online using Quizlet.com.
VIDEOS
The use of videos in the classroom is another resource for foreign language classes. Teachers can select certain video clips to show using the internet or their own videos and play them for students. For example, a teacher who wishes to teach students how to properly introduce a friend to another friend may find a video clip in which one individual is introducing a friend to another friend. The students may find this helpful.
Another fun activity to use with videos is to play a video clip on mute. The students must write down a summary of what they believe is occurring in the video. The teacher then replays the video for the students, this time with the sound (in the target language). The students must then write down a new summary of what really happened in the video clip. Students then discuss with partners/class. This activity allows students to practice their listening, writing, viewing, and speaking skills in the target language. Additionally, the students become really engaged in this activity because they want to know whether their predictions about the video are correct. Their engagement lowers their affective filter which facilitates the language learning process.
Students enjoy watching silent videos.
ELECTRONIC DICTIONARIES
Electronic dictionaries are fast and easy to use for students of all ages. Unlike standard dictionaries, electronic dictionaries are light weight and small, making them easier to carry than the heavy dictionaries of the past. This means that students will be more willing to use these dictionaries in and out of schools. While a standard dictionary is often too big to fit into one's pocket or purse, electronic dictionaries are the perfect size. Students can take them to classes, movies, restaurants- virtually anywhere.
Like traditional dictionaries, electronic can be used for checking spelling and definitions as well as antonyms and synonyms. However, electronic dictionaries go beyond the standard dictionaries of the past, making them great tool for language learners. Many provide students with examples of how a particular word or phrase is used in a particular context and sentence while others have voice-enabled translators so that students will also learn how to pronounce the new vocabulary correctly.
Another advantage of electronic dictionaries is the amount of information that can be included without increasing the size of the dictionary. Some electronic dictionaries have more than 100,000 words, slangs and phrases but they still fit in your pocket. Electronic dictionaries are convenient and they save instructional time. Students can find vocabulary words faster in an electronic dictionary than in a traditional one. This means that they will complete the assignments in a faster amount of time and, while listening to lecture, be able to quickly understand the instruction without wasting valuable time looking for the word in a standard dictionary.
Electronic dictionaries range from an affordable $70 to a more high-tech $400, with prices varying according to brand, technology and quality. Brand names include JetBook and iTRAVL, both of which are shown in the pictures below.
While this may be too expensive for students, it is a worthy investment for schools. Instead of buying standard dictionaries that students rarely and unwillingly use, schools can buy electronic dictionaries that are not only easier to use but also, appealing to a techno-obsessed generation.
(1) Krashen, Stephen D (2003). Explorations in Language Acquisition. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
(2) Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind and society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
(3) Krashen, Stephen D (2003). Explorations in Language Acquisition. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
(4) Gardner, Howard. (1983) "Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences.” New York.
(5) Warschauer, M. and Meskill, C. (2000) Technology and Second Language Teaching and Learning. in J. Rosenthal (ed) Handbook of Undergraduate Second Language Education. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
(6) Blaz, Deborah (1999). Language Teacher's Guide to Active Learning.Eye on Education.Inc.
Table of Contents
Overview
With the emerging advances in technology, teaching a foreign language has been simplified through the use of technology. Students may log online and collaborate on classroom projects using GoogleDocs. They may create web pages such as Wikispaces. They may learn new languages by connecting with others through Skype. They may demonstrate their knowledge by taking a quiz on Quizlet. The possibilities are endless. In this article, we will discuss the ways in which technology can be a resource in learning a new language.
Research
Will technology replace language teachers?
Technology can be used as a learning medium through which language acquisition teachers can enhance students' understanding and fluency. With the plethora of technology in language acquisition programs, language teachers have felt threatened that technology would eventually replace the teacher-student interaction of language learning. However, the truth of the matter is that technology can’t replace an individual. It is important to note that technology is meant as an addition to a language program, not as a replacement for teachers.
Language theorist, Stephen D. Krashen, found that meaningful interaction is necessary for people to learn a second language (1). Further, Lev Vygotsky advocated it is imperative for students to work with peers or adults to help them reach their potential development (2). When less competent students interact with more competent students, they are better able to understand grammatical structures and functions. Thus, person-to-person interactions cannot be replaced by technology.
Additionally, Krashen found that people learn best when they are provided with “comprehensible input”, which enables students to produce language only when they feel ready. When using comprehensible input, students acquire the second language through context. Krashen suggested a low anxiety context or setting, where students' “filters” are low (3). Language classrooms can create low anxiety contexts by making students feel both welcomed and comfortable in their environment. While technology can add to that context, it cannot replace it.
In his Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Howard Gardner argued that people learn in a variety of ways through multiple intelligences. These multiple intelligences include logical-mathematical, linguistic, spatial, musical, bodily kinesthetic, interpersonal, and naturalist (4). By addressing all of the multiple intelligences when teaching, students will be more likely to succeed in producing the target language. While technology can address intelligences such as logical-mathematical, linguistic or musical, it cannot address the importance of interpersonal contact in learning.
Interaction is still essential in the language classroom. While technology cannot replace that interaction, it can enhance it. Students today grow up in a multicultural society, where technology has become the main medium through which people communicate with other cultures. Mark Warschauer and Carla Meskill point out that technology is advantageous in a classroom because it "…can be used to help prepare students for the kinds of international cross-cultural communication which are increasingly required for success in academic, vocational, or personal life" (5).
Examples
WEBSITES
One way in which technology can make learning a language an easy task is through the use of online websites such as ManyThings.com. On that website, students may watch videos, take quizzes, play language games, fill in worksheets, and even download study resources. Students enjoy surfing the net, thus this website provides the enjoyment the students crave while also teaching them a language.
With the use of KeyPal sites, students may connect with students from other countries to speak and learn their language. For example, students learning Spanish in the United States may connect with students learning English in Mexico and speak with each other. This is a valuable resource for students who are learning a new language because they practice their speaking skills. KeyPal websites are listed in the Links section below.
VIDEOS
The use of videos in the classroom is another resource for foreign language classes. Teachers can select certain video clips to show using the internet or their own videos and play them for students. For example, a teacher who wishes to teach students how to properly introduce a friend to another friend may find a video clip in which one individual is introducing a friend to another friend. The students may find this helpful.
Another fun activity to use with videos is to play a video clip on mute. The students must write down a summary of what they believe is occurring in the video. The teacher then replays the video for the students, this time with the sound (in the target language). The students must then write down a new summary of what really happened in the video clip. Students then discuss with partners/class. This activity allows students to practice their listening, writing, viewing, and speaking skills in the target language. Additionally, the students become really engaged in this activity because they want to know whether their predictions about the video are correct. Their engagement lowers their affective filter which facilitates the language learning process.
ELECTRONIC DICTIONARIES
Like traditional dictionaries, electronic can be used for checking spelling and definitions as well as antonyms and synonyms. However, electronic dictionaries go beyond the standard dictionaries of the past, making them great tool for language learners. Many provide students with examples of how a particular word or phrase is used in a particular context and sentence while others have voice-enabled translators so that students will also learn how to pronounce the new vocabulary correctly.
Another advantage of electronic dictionaries is the amount of information that can be included without increasing the size of the dictionary. Some electronic dictionaries have more than 100,000 words, slangs and phrases but they still fit in your pocket. Electronic dictionaries are convenient and they save instructional time. Students can find vocabulary words faster in an electronic dictionary than in a traditional one. This means that they will complete the assignments in a faster amount of time and, while listening to lecture, be able to quickly understand the instruction without wasting valuable time looking for the word in a standard dictionary.
Electronic dictionaries range from an affordable $70 to a more high-tech $400, with prices varying according to brand, technology and quality. Brand names include JetBook and iTRAVL, both of which are shown in the pictures below.
While this may be too expensive for students, it is a worthy investment for schools. Instead of buying standard dictionaries that students rarely and unwillingly use, schools can buy electronic dictionaries that are not only easier to use but also, appealing to a techno-obsessed generation.
Links
LEARNING THE LANGUAGE:
http://forum.skype.com/index.php?showforum=140
manythings.org
KEYPAL SITES:
http://www.slf.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/
http://www.cc.kyoto-su.ac.jp/~trobb/keypals.html
OTHER LINKS:
http://clifmims.com/blog/archives/4038h
http://quizlet.com
http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/kids/article603823.ece
http://www.lingualogue.com/electronic-dictionaries.html
References
(1) Krashen, Stephen D (2003). Explorations in Language Acquisition. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
(2) Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind and society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
(3) Krashen, Stephen D (2003). Explorations in Language Acquisition. Portsmouth: Heinemann.
(4) Gardner, Howard. (1983) "Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences.” New York.
(5) Warschauer, M. and Meskill, C. (2000) Technology and Second Language Teaching and Learning. in J. Rosenthal (ed) Handbook of Undergraduate Second Language Education. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
(6) Blaz, Deborah (1999). Language Teacher's Guide to Active Learning.Eye on Education.Inc.